Dartmoor inmates held like caged animals

Inmates at Dartmoor prison have been held in a wire mesh cage and in granite exercise "pens" that are "more appropriate for dangerous animals", according to a damning report by the new chief inspector of prisons published today.

Anne Owers, in her first big report, says that Dartmoor felt like "the prison that time forgot". She found that Dartmoor's historic reputation as the prison service's punishment block meant it was locked into an outdated culture of over-control and lack of respect for inmates. Staff openly referred to inmates as "vermin", "coloureds", "rubbish" and much worse.

The official inspection team, which went unannounced into the west country jail in September, found an atmosphere of intimidation in which the risk presented by the prisoners was exaggerated to justify Dartmoor's reputation as a "hard prison".

The chief inspector says that despite pockets of good practice the staff has failed to adapt to its new role as a training prison for less troublesome inmates. Verbal abuse was much more widespread than at other jails, with insults such as "vermin to exercise" regularly shouted by staff. They expressed concerns about the over-use of force when moving inmates.

But the most shocking allegations centre on the segregation unit, where inmates were found exercising in 12ft-square granite "pens", and distressed or suicidal prisoners were locked into a "cage" of wire mesh to communicate their problems. Prison staff continued to lock inmates into the cage in defiance of an order for its closure by Dartmoor's governor.

"The pens and the cage were degrading, and more appropriate for dangerous animals than for potentially suicidal medium to low risk prisoners," Ms Owers said. "The cage was dismantled during our inspection. The use of the pens for exercise should cease immediately."

Inspectors say that the 46-cell segregation or punishment unit containing the cage and the pens looked exactly as it must have done in the 19th century, save for the addition of closed circuit television cameras. It had already been the subject of severe criticism last May from Martin Narey, the director-general of the prison service. A practice of switching on a flashing blue light to mark a "walk of shame" when an inmate was being taken to the unit had only just been discontinued.

The "cage" where suicidal and depressed prisoners were meant to get a sympathetic ear from inmates trained as "listeners" sparked the strongest condemnation.

"With some degree of disbelief, we discovered a cell in the segregation unit where pris oners could talk to listeners," the report says.

"It had been bisected by the construction of an internal steel cage. Prisoners undergoing professional interviews had to cram into this cage, adding to the ritual humiliation they experienced elsewhere in the prison."

John Lawrence, Dartmoor's governor for the past seven years, is expected to be replaced by Graham Johnson, who has been acting governor since last summer. The segretation unit, including the pens and the cage, has been closed since the chief inspector's visit.